Hi there. I was lucky enough to meet my boyfriend before my HS got worse so I was able to tell him about it and assure that it wouldn't affect him in any way. I was terrified that he would think that I had a sexually transmitted disease but luckily he understood. It's hard finding someone who will accept and understand. I wish you the best

For a long time I was too scared to tell anyone about my HS, I avoided intimacy and tried my best not to begin anything with anyone because I was always scared of what I would say when It came time I'd needed to tell someone about my HS, let alone even show my scars and wounds to someone. I began seeing this guy and I was so worried about when this time would come, it finally did and we ended up sleeping together and he didn't even say anything about my scars ( at this time I had no open sores or flare ups). After, I was nervous thinking to myself "oh fuck what am I going to do when it comes time to us doing this again and I have an open wound what will I say" So, I decided to talk to him and tell him all about this disease. I explained how sometimes I will be okay and not have a flare up and it's just my scars and how other times it's at the point that my mobility is painful and I have multiple sores. I was assuming the worst when I did this and I was scared shitless, but it felt good to say it and honestly was a lot simpler to do than I had imagined. His response was very sweet and he was more concerned than anything, and flattered that I felt comfortable enough to share this part of my life with him. Even if he had said something nasty or was grossed out by it and wanted to end things, that would have been fine because it just felt good to finally for once to own who I am and be okay with sharing this part of me with someone. So with that, really think about it that way too when it comes to meeting someone or getting intimate with someone. If they don't accept you for who you are they aren't a good person, if they like and care about you they will accept everything that comes along with you. Even though I am not with this person anymore i've still had other encounters with men since then and they have also had no problem. Just be confident in yourself and be straight up and you never know they might be a decent human and not care!

I totally know how you feel. I’ve had HS since 15 so I’ve been dealing with it my entire dating life. I’ve found that if I explain it to them beforehand it made me SO much more comfortable. And you know what? No one really cared. It would take a pretty heartless person to freak out about something that is beyond your control. Be open, share your story and your emotions, you’ll feel a whole lot better.